


Adventures in Pinwheel Forest

by bluejaythebeautiful



Series: (Not so) Weekly Writing Challenge [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Childhood, Forests, How they met their Pokemon, I MADE MY OWN, Nacrene City, Pre-Game(s), Striaton City Restaurant, The Author Is Concerned For The Fandom, The Author Regrets Nothing, Their parents are also herbs, WHY ARE THEY CORN POD AND DENT, and one of my ACTUAL oc's shows up, and the oc's in this fic, because they can't find the brothers' FRIENDSHIP TAG, for like a second, what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 02:13:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9413213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluejaythebeautiful/pseuds/bluejaythebeautiful
Summary: Chili, Cilan and Cress, who had recently turned ten, decide to sneak off to Pinwheel Forest and catch their very own elemental monkeys.Their parents may be worried for their safety, but so what? The triplets'll show them!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Week Three of my Weekly Writing Challenge! Woot!

_ “I don’t think they’re ready yet!” _

 

_ “Coriander, honey, they’re nearly teenagers. They’ll need their partners soon!” _

 

_ “I know, but it means sending them out on their own. I can’t watch them leave, Caraway! What if they get hurt?” _

 

_ “They’re  _ our  _ children. They’ll be fine.” _

 

Chili grinned as he pulled away from his parents’ bedroom door. “They’re talking about giving us Pokémon,” he whispered, careful to keep his voice low. He turned around to meet his brothers’ eyes. “We’ll be real Trainers soon!”

 

“Oh, what do you think they’ll be?” Cress asked. He opened his mouth to say more, but Cilan cut him off.

 

“We’ll choose them. We’ll tell Mom and Dad that we’re going out to play, and we’ll go to Pinwheel Forest and catch our own!” He smiled, a bit smug.  _ He’s _ the smartest out of the three, he must be!

 

Cress huffed. “With what?” he questioned. “We don’t have any Pokéballs!”

 

Chili shook his head and jerked his head to their shared room. “Come here.” He crept over, and as soon as Cress and Cilan had joined him, shut the door. He flopped to the ground and dug under his bed. “I’ve been saving money,” he said. “I didn’t know what I could use it for, but now I do!”

 

“How much do you have?” Cilan climbed onto Chili’s bed, the red covers making his green shirt stand out.

 

“Umm… About 2,000 Pokédollars,” Chili said, pulling a small, wooden box with him when he wriggled out from under the bed. “It should be enough for 10 Pokéballs.”

 

Cress sat next to him. “You’re right, it is. But are they gonna sell to three ten-year-olds?” He reached over and dragged the box to him. 

 

Chili shrugged, stealing the box back. “I guess we’ll find out when we get to Nacrene City.” He stuffed the box into his backpack, then stood. “We should get snacks, too. That way we won’t get hungry while we look.”

 

“Why Nacrene City?” Cilan asked as he hopped off the bed. “Why can’t we buy them here?”

 

“If we buy them here, they might tell Mom and Dad!” Chili said. “Don’t you wanna surprise them? Show them that we can do stuff by ourselves?”

 

Cress nodded, standing as well. “We’ll be in Nacrene anyway, if we’re going to Pinwheel!” He went to his side of the room and picked up his jacket. “We should get going soon, it’s 10:00.” 

 

Chili grinned and dashed out of the room, straight towards the kitchen. He skidded to a stop in front of the pantry and yanked open the door.

 

“What in the world are you doing?” Coriander’s amused voice caused Chili to spin around. “Are you really that hungry?”

 

Closing the door, Chili walked closer to his mother. “Cress, Cilan, and I were thinking of going out on a picnic,” he lied. “Or maybe exploring.”

 

Coriander chuckled. “Well, make sure you three are back for dinner,” she told him. “Do you want to take Lilligant with you?”

 

“Yeah, she’d be a great help!” Chili went back to the pantry, scouring its contents. He was soon joined by his brothers, who offered up their own foods. 

 

“What’s the plan?” Cress asked as he handed Chili a few chip bags. “We can’t go in without a plan!”

 

Turning to him, Chili grabbed the food and stuffed them into his bag. “Lilligant is comin’ with us, but that’s fine. Momma thinks we’re going on an exploration, so we will, but not where  _ she _ thinks we’re going!” 

 

Cilan placed a few Moon pies into his pocket. “We’ll have to move quickly. I heard something about dinner?”

 

“What are you three whispering about in there?” Caraway leaned on the door to the pantry, his arms crossed. “Your mom told me about your plans, so I came over to give you this.” He handed Cress a Pokéball emblazoned with an orange flower. “Be careful.” He had a knowing look in his eyes, almost as if he knew their  _ true  _ plans. 

 

“Yeah, Dad. We will,” Cress said as he took the Pokéball. “Promise.”

 

Caraway laughed, reaching over the boys’ heads to grab a few spices. “We’re slammed today, so you’ll have to go through the actual restaurant. I don’t want you messing up the kitchen staff.” He left, and Cilan sighed.

 

“We have everything, right?” he enquired, peering into the bag. “We need to go!”

 

Chili nodded and zipped up the bag. “Yeah, you’re right. Come on!” He led his brothers out of their apartment, down the stairs, and into the main seating room for the restaurant.

 

“Hey, Chili!” A waitress patted him on the head, then smiled at the others. “Cress, Cilan, what are you guys doing?”

 

“We’re going on an adventure!” Cress chirped before Chili could answer. 

 

The waitress laughed. “Have fun! Don’t get hurt!” She sashayed away, stopping by a table to refill a little girl’s glass. 

 

“Mama, he has a Pokéball!” the girl said excitedly, pointing towards Cress. “Can I have a Pokémon, too?”

 

Cress puffed up with pride. He was already seen as a Trainer, and Lilligant wasn’t even his! He felt Cilan and Chili pulling him away, but not before he heard her mother’s answer.

 

“Not now, Ember. Maybe in a few years.” The mother smiled softly at the trio as they left. “You three have potential. Better go train, before she gets old enough to battle!” she said, facing Cilan, Chili, and Cress. The three waved to her, acknowledging her praise.

 

“Wow! Ember thought I was a Trainer!” Cress said as soon as they made it outside. “I wanna battle her!”

 

Chili huffed. “She only thought you were a Trainer ‘cause you were holding that!” He gestured to Lilligant’s ball, irritated. “We should go tell her that Lilli is Dad’s!”

 

“No, we should go!” Cilan interrupted. “We’ll deal with Ember later. For now, focus on this!” He set off at a brisk walk, forcing his brothers to run and catch up with him.

 

Cress put the ball into his pocket. “How long is Route 3?” he asked, sticking his hand in the fountain when they reached it.

 

Cilan ran to the bridge. “No idea. It’s probably short.” He pet a woman’s Lillipup when it ran up to him, and laughed at its eagerness. “We’ll get to Nacrene in 15 minutes, tops.”

 

“Where’s Chili?” Cress’s confused voice made Cilan’s head snap up. Sure enough, the red-headed triplet had ran ahead, leaving his brothers behind. The two looked at each other and sighed, then followed.

 

////////////////////

 

“Nacrene City, home of the gym leader Lenora!” Chili said, standing proudly in front of the sign. Hands on his hips, he tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Cilan and Cress to join him. “What took you so long?”

 

Cilan rested on the sign, trying to catch his breath. “We’re not as fast as you,” he said between heaves.

 

Cress sank to the ground and leaned on Cilan’s legs. “How are you so fit? You only eat junk food!” He glared at Chili, who laughed.

 

“I have no idea!” he said, then grabbed Cress’s arms to yank him up. “Come on, the Pokécenter is right over there!” He (thankfully) waited for Cilan to get his bearings, and began walking to the red-roofed building.

 

“Hi, boys! Welcome to Nacrene!” one of the men behind the shop counter said. He beamed at them as Chili dashed to the counter.

 

He set his bag on the floor and pulled out his money box. “We need ten Pokéballs!” he said, plunking it down. He flipped it open to reveal his savings.

 

The man nodded and pulled open a drawer. “Since you’re buying ten, you get a Premiere ball as a bonus! I’ll go ahead and give you two- that way you don’t have an uneven split.” He winked, passing four balls each to the three. “Don’t want fighting between you. Are you prepared for battle?” 

 

“Yeah, we have our dad’s Pokémon,” Cress said as he drew out Lilligant’s ball. “We’ll be okay.”

 

“Good luck, then. Hope you find good Pokémon!” The man handed the box back to Chili. “Don’t tell my boss that I gave you that extra. She won’t be happy.” He snuck a glance at the Nurse Joy in the Center, who was busy with another Trainer. 

 

Cilan pretended to zip his mouth shut, and he threw away the key. “We won’t!” He grinned at the man before following Cress out of the Center.

 

As soon as they made it out, Chili looked around. “All right, which way is Pinwheel Forest?” he asked.

 

“I can take you there.” A woman’s voice startled all three into turning around. Lenora leaned down, a small smile on her face. “No big deal. Hey, you’re Caraway’s kids, aren’t you? Does he know you’re here?”

 

Cilan nodded, holding his hands behind his back. “Y-yeah, he knows. He trusts us.” He forced a smile, hoping that Lenora wouldn’t see through his lie.

 

“We’d love the help, Mrs. Lenora!” Cress said, trying to distract her from questioning them more. He played up the adorable factor he knew he had.

 

Lenora chuckled. “Good to see how eager you are. All right, come on. I’ll get you to Pinwheel. What Pokémon are you going to look for?” she asked as she began walking.

 

“Pansage!” Cilan immediately answered.

 

“Panpour!” Cress’s voice overlapped his brother’s.

 

“Pan _ sear _ !” Chili shouted. “It’s the best!”

 

Her laughter growing louder, Lenora stopped. “You three are so similar, yet so different. We’ll have to go deep into Pinwheel, but okay!” She then began walking again, watching the boys in her peripheral vision.  

 

Cilan rushed forward to keep pace with her. “I can’t wait to find them!” he said, jittery with excitement.

 

“I can’t wait to see it happen,” Lenora answered. “It’ll be a while until we get to the center, so keep close to me, and save your energy. Here we go!”

 

///////////////////////////////////////

 

Reaching the middle of Pinwheel Forest, Lenora turned around to face the boys. “While Caraway and Coriander may trust you, I still want to stay here and keep an eye out. You have an hour to get back to this tree, whether you have your Pokémon or not. Got it?”

 

“Yes ma’am,” the three said in unison. Cress nodded, while Cilan and Chili remained stoic. 

 

Lenora smiled. “I have an idea. Race each other. Whoever gets here first  _ and _ has their Pokémon, gets to ride on Stoutland’s back on the way to Nacrene. How about  _ that _ for incentive?”

 

Three little gasps of joy followed her statement, and each boy took off in different directions. Lenora sat on the tree root and took a book out of her pocket. “Guess it’ll be a while,” she said, opening it to her last spot.

 

///////////////////////

Going north, Cress scoured the area for any flash of blue. He wondered if the Panpour would think he was one of them, since he had the same color hair. He shook the thought out of his head.  _ No, dummy! Your hair’s way too dark! _

 

He heaved a sigh. Thinking back to his reading, he tried to remember how rare the little monkeys were. He couldn’t think of the number, and sighed again. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he halfheartedly sang.

 

Suddenly, a patch of grass rustled. Cress snuck over and pushed it apart, but it was only a Petilil trying to get into a good sunning position. She saw him and ran away, but she tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. Lilligant quickly released herself, rushing over to the Petilil and picking her up.

 

“Fine, you can play with her. Stay near me,” Cress whispered to her, noting how happy Lilligant was. He saw that the Petilil’s eyes were weirdly purple, but he shrugged off the thought and continued on. 

 

Ten minutes later, Cress still hadn’t found anything. It seemed that his good mood had left him and gone into Lilligant, who had placed the Petilil on her head and was now following him. He crossed his arms and pushed a tree branch aside.

 

A weight landed on his shoulders. “Panpour?” it asked, confused as to what- or who- had knocked it out of its sleeping position.

 

Cress reached up and plucked the Panpour from its new perch. “Thank Arceus, I found you!” He grinned, Panpour moving in his arms to get into a more comfortable position. It snuggled up against him. “Do you want to stay, boy?”

 

Panpour cracked open one eye, glaring at Cress. “Pour.”

 

“Um, girl? You want to come with me?” Cress laughed, shifting her to one arm while he dug a Pokéball out of his pocket. “You can sleep wherever you’d like!”

 

Sitting up, the Panpour smiled. “Pan, Panpour!” She slapped the ball with her tail, letting the light wash over her. One shake, two…. The Panpour was captured, and Cress was an official Trainer.

 

“Awesome! Come on, Lilligant, we hafta get back before Chili and Cilan do!” He whooped in joy before racing back the way he came.

 

/////////////////////

 

“Pansear! Get your fiery little butts out here, I wanna capture you!” Chili’s dash to the west had so far scared Pidove, Cottonee, and Venipede out of their hiding spots, but there were no Fire types to be seen. Chili ran to a hollow tree and knocked above the opening. “You in there?”

 

A large shadow moved inside. Chili backed up, leaving room for the angry Sawk to emerge. “Saw?” it said, glowering. 

 

Chili gulped. “Hi. Umm, sorry?” He looked up at its face, and a nervous sweat broke out on his forehead. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

 

The Sawk stepped forward. Chili took off, leaving the Sawk behind, but he soon found that he was lost. None of the trees looked familiar, and he hadn’t watched where he was going. “Oh, no.”

 

A Whirlipede rolled past, oblivious to the human in its midst. A Whimsicott floated over with a horde of Cottonee following it. “Whims?”

 

Sinking to the ground, Chili wrapped his arms around his knees. He felt the Cottonee surround him and leaned into the fluff. A nudge to his foot made him look down.

 

“Pansear,” the red Pokémon said as it held out a Pecha berry. It stepped closer, pressing it into Chili’s hands.

 

Chili smiled and took the berry. “Thanks, little dude,” he said before taking a bite. He finished it off quickly, the sweetness flooding his senses.

 

Pansear reached forward and tugged on his hand. “Sear,” it cried, leaning back with the exertion. It scrambled back as Chili stood, scaring away the Cottonee. (They weren’t scared for long, though. As soon as they could, they cuddled up to Chili again.)

 

“What is it? What do you want?” Chili crouched down to Pansear. “What’s wrong?”

 

Grabbing Chili’s hand, Pansear tried to lead him away. “Pansear.”

 

“Ohhhh, you’re gonna help me get back?” Chili asked. He diligently followed, the Cottonee shifting to his back. “I forgot about the snacks,” he muttered when he felt them move his backpack.

 

Pansear looked up and grinned at him, then hopped up to his shoulder. It pointed to a space between two trees. 

 

Chili walked over to it. “You found the path! Thanks, Pansear!” He ruffled the tuft on Pansear’s head before striding out to the clear trail. “That means you have to go, doesn’t it?” he asked sadly.

 

Climbing down to Chili’s arms, Pansear reached into the bag and pulled out a Pokéball. It handed the ball to Chili with a smug smile.

 

“Okay, first off, how’d you know that was there? Second off, are you offering to come with me?” Chili’s questioning was cut off when Pansear pushed the little button on its own, and just as Chili realized what was happening, he became Pansear’s trainer. Pansear then let itself out and climbed to Chili’s head.

 

“Pan.” It crossed its arms, and used its tail to pull a snack out of Chili’s bag. (Shh. It may not be Aipom, but…)

 

“All right! Let’s go show Lenora!” Chili rushed off down the path, towards the huge tree where the Leader was waiting.

 

//////////////////////

 

Trekking to the south, Cilan admired the plant growth along the path he had found. Bright, colorful flowers littered the bushes, and sunlight streamed through the trees to highlight the colors. He plucked one off the bush next to him. “Beautiful,” he said to himself, continuing down the trail. 

 

He noticed a small trail veering off from the main one. Following it, he saw that it lead to a clearing bathed in sunlight. A lot of Grass-type Pokémon were laying in the grass, soaking up the rays. Cilan stepped quietly into the light. When none ran off, he smiled and walked further in.

 

“Wow… This is cool!” he whispered, noticing a Lilligant not unlike his father’s sitting on the ground. She patted the space next to her, one just big enough for him to sit in.

 

Joining her, Cilan folded his legs underneath him. “Thank you,” he told her, earning a pleased look. He leaned back, his head on his arms, and closed his eyes. 

 

A few minutes later, a heavy weight settled on Cilan’s chest. He opened his eyes to see that a Pansage had decided to use him as a bed, without a care in the world. “Oh, hello,” he said, causing it to wriggle around and stare at him.

 

“Sage!” It reached up and pulled a few leaves off its head tuft. Stuffing one into its mouth, it offered the others to Cilan and Lilligant.

 

Lilligant took it easily, sticking it in her own mouth with fervor. She trilled as the flower on her head bloomed, then looked at Cilan. “Lilli,” she said, tapping Cilan’s face.

 

“I’m supposed to eat it?” he asked. At Lilligant and Pansage’s nods, he sighed and placed it on his tongue. A bitter taste spread across, but it filled him with more energy than what he had woken up with. “Pansage, this… This is great!” His voice, now louder than before, scared a few Pokémon away. Pansage stayed, sitting on Cilan’s chest, and it looked so happy to be praised this way.

 

“Pansage!” it said as it offered more. 

 

Cilan shook his head. “No, thank you. Maybe later.” He put the Pansage on the ground and stood, brushing dirt and grass off his pants. “I have to go!”

 

A Pokéball dropped out of his pocket. As he leaned down to pick it up, Pansage rushed forward to help him. Its hand hit the button, and before Cilan knew it, the Pansage had become entrapped inside.

 

“Oh, no! How do I- Wait.” Cilan remembered when he came into the forest for, and it wasn’t just to watch Pokémon. Apparently, the Pansage really wanted to stay with him, because the ball only shook once before lighting up with a “ding”. He picked it up and released the Pansage.

 

Immediately, it climbed up to Cilan’s shoulder. “Pan!” it cried before eating another one of its leaves. It had decided to stay, and Cilan wasn’t about to chase it off.

 

Sighing, Cilan walked back to the trail. “All right, fine. Maybe we’ll get back before Chili or Cress.” He began his journey back to Lenora, Pansage easily staying in place.

 

/////////////////////////

 

“I’m sorry, Caraway. I really thought you had let them go,” Lenora said, shrugging.

 

Caraway stood in front of her, an annoyed look on his face. “Oh, I’m not angry at  _ you _ , Lenora,” he said. “Please don’t take it the wrong way. I’m glad you were able to guide them; I just wish they had asked Cori and I first.” He crossed his arms, almost looking like Chili.

 

Lenora nodded and pulled out a Pokéball. “If you want, I can have Stoutland look for them,” she offered, releasing the large Pokémon.

 

“No, I’d rather them come back on their own. Just to see how they do, you know?” In truth, Caraway had planned to take them somewhere for their birthday in a year, to properly teach them how to battle and catch their own Pokémon. But seeing them figure it out on their own was somehow more satisfying.

 

“Come on, Lilligant, it looks like they aren’t back yet!” Cress sounded like he was nearby, coming from the north end of the clearing.

Chili’s voice sounded out next- but it seemed Cress didn’t hear him. “I got this! Gonna ride Stoutland!” He seemed to be coming from the west, and his words were nearly blown away by the wind

 

“Finally! I can get back home!” Cilan’s excited voice came from the south, and all three boys emerged from the woods at the same time.

 

Cress stopped in his tracks, the Panpour in his arms quickly moving to his back. Lilligant ran forward and offered the shiny Petilil to Caraway, who took it.

 

Chili’s Pansear stayed right where it was on its Trainer’s head, its stubbornness matching Chili’s. It raised its chin just as Chili did. The Cottonee fled, leaving Chili’s back cold.

 

Pansage wrapped its tail around Cilan’s shoulders, anchoring its place. Cilan stepped forward and spoke first.

 

“Sorry, Dad. We just wanted-“

 

“What were you three thinking? You could have gotten hurt! Your mother is worried sick! She went outside to check on you, and everyone said you had left! Then Lenora called, said you three were delightful, and that she was surprised I had let you go to Pinwheel!” Caraway paused in his rant to suck in a breath. “And another thing-“

 

“It was my fault, Dad. My idea.” Chili looked his father in the eyes, hoping his sincerity got across. “I overheard you and Mom talking about it, so I thought we could surprise you and show you that we were ready. I’m sorry.” He looked down, Pansear climbing to his shoulder.

 

Pansage hopped off Cilan and walked to Caraway. In a show of peace, it once again offered leaves from its tuft. “Pansage?”

 

Caraway bent down, taking the leaves. “You know what? You can keep your Pokémon. Let’s go home. I’ll start by teaching you type matchups, and you can introduce me to your new partners.”

 

Looking to each other, Chili, Cress, and Cilan, smiled. “Sure, Dad,” Cress said as he walked forward. He hugged Caraway around his waist, and felt Chili and Cilan join him.

 

Caraway looked down at his three sons. Smiling, he hugged them back, then looked up at Lenora.

 

“Who wants to ride Stoutland?” she shouted, ruining the mood. The triplets broke away from the hug and rushed over with chants of “Me! Me!”

 

Caraway sighed and shook his head. His sons were going to go places, weren’t they?

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I started this about five times before I settled on this. The only prompt was "a story about three siblings", and I knew I wanted to write about my absolute favorite Gym Leaders. So, here we go! (Caraway kept the shiny Petilil, don't worry.) Also, tip: even just a bit of coriander in your pancakes makes a huge difference. It's so good <3 Tip bc of their mom lmao. 
> 
> *whispers* They tried to deal with Ember about seven years later. She dealt with Cress. And by dealt I mean he got his ass handed to him.
> 
> I can make this sad very quickly, and I will: Caraway and Coriander died a few years after this took place, giving the restaurant to Chili, Cress, and Cilan. They initially turned it into a Gym to battle away their grief, but it never worked. They kept it as a Gym for not only their parents' memory, but to help young Trainers achieve the goals that they never could. The two Lilligant (normal and shiny) work as waitresses. Did I make it sad yet?
> 
> Next week's prompt: A story about rising to a challenge.
> 
> Follow my writing blog! bluejayartandwriting.tumblr.com


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